Dr. Panchanan Chatterjee

Dr. Panchannan Chatterjee was born on 23 Nov 1892 in Bally, District Howrah, a township situated on the Hooghly, opposite the city of Calcutta. His father Sri Kedarnath Chatterjee was employed at the Post & Telegraph Department of Government of India. Dr. Panchannan had his schooling in Gauhati, Assam and later in Rivers Thomson School, Bally (Now Santiram Vidyalaya). After passing the Entrance Examination of the University of Calcutta he joined Uttarpara Raj College and passed the F.A. of the Calcutta University. Although he was a student of Arts, he was admitted in Calcutta Medical College in 1912 as a special case. He secured all the College prizes of Surgery and passed M.B. of the Calcutta University in 1918 securing the highest marks in surgery. Dr. Panchannan then worked a Senior House Surgeon to Col. Bird, who was the Professor of Surgery of Calcutta Medical College, and performed as an Anaesthetist for a short while.

In 1920, Dr. Panchannan was appointed Superintendent cum Resident Surgeon of the Carmichael Medical College (Now R.G. Kar Medical College) for a period of 5 years. However, soon afterwards he was sponsored by the Government of Bengal and Management of Carmichael Medical College for studying Hospital Management in U.K. While in U. K., he passed F.R.C.S.(Edin) and returned in 9 months time and continued in his post as Superintendent cum Resident Surgeon, Carmichael Medical College, until 1926. He then commenced his surgical practice.

Dr. Panchannan was later appointed a Senior Visiting Surgeon in the Calcutta Medical College in 1928 and served in the Calcutta Medical College continuously first in this capacity and then as Professor of Clinical & Operative surgery and from 1947 as Professor of Surgery. He retired in 1952 but continued his surgical practice and functioned as a friend, philosopher and guide to a host of younger surgeons until his last days.Dr. Panchannan was a versatile surgeon who practiced a wide range of Surgeries including cleft palate and lip surgeries in 50’s and 60’s in India.

Dr. Panchannan Chatterjee was a founder Member of the Association of Surgeons of India and became its President in 1949. He was the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Annual Conference of the ASI that held in Calcutta in 1951 and was also the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Annual Conference of the ASI that was to be held in Calcutta in 1962. Unfortunately this Conference was postponed for a year and he passed away before it was actually held in 1963. He probably attended every single Annual Conference of the ASI until 1960.

Dr. Panchannan was a Member of the Senate and Syndicate of the Calcutta University. He was President of the I.M.A., Calcutta branch in 1941 – 42 and Bengal State Branch of the I.M.A., in 1942 – 43.

He contributed extensively to various Journals on various aspects of Tropical Surgery. His final contributions “Filariasis” and “Helminthic infections other than Filariasis“ appeared in the volume of Tropical Surgery in the Clinical Surgery series of Charles Rob & Rodney Smith, Edited by Dr. A.K.Basu, 1965.

Dr. Chatterjee passed away on Wednesday, 22 May 1963.

Dr. Panchannan Chatterjee Endowment Lecture was started by the Association of Surgeons of India in the revered memory of one of its Founder Members and Past President in 1983.